Mathews board gets high marks from auditor Tuesday

Sherry Hamilton - Posted on Dec 18, 2013 - 02:25 PM

Members of the Mathews County Board of Supervisors held their first meeting in the newly renovated historic courthouse Tuesday afternoon, which includes a new seating area for board members and large monitors for audience members to view presentations better. Shown, from left, are county staff John Shaw and Jamie Wilks, board members Janine Burns, Charles Ingram, Neena Putt and Edwina Casey and staff members Mindy Moran and Julie Kaylor. Photo by Sherry Hamilton

The firm’s representative, Paul Lee, told the board that Mathews County had received “the highest opinion we can give.” Tax collection remains high, which helps in the budget process, he said, and there were no signings or comments.

“There’s nothing that needed to be reported,” he said.

Lee once again warned the board that, beginning in fiscal year 2015, the county will have an unfunded pension liability showing up on the books because of changes in the Virginia Retirement System.

Many other localities in Virginia will have the same issue, he said, with all of them going from a net positive to a net negative on the same date. But he said there should be no problem as long as the county continues to pay its employees’ 5 percent share of the cost of their retirement fund.

Sheriff Mark Barrick announced during the meeting that he had received a $159,000 grant from the state’s asset forfeiture fund to pay for new repeaters, radios and other equipment for his office’s communication system. The upgrades will help ensure officer safety, he said in separate remarks, adding, “It’s a bad feeling when you have an officer at a scene and you can’t tell whether he needs help or not.”